Peshawar: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak conducted a surprise inspection of Sifwat Ghayyur Shaheed Memorial Children Hospital at Haji Camp, G.T. Road, Peshawar. During the late night visit he went round the entire hospital and inspected all its sections.

Expressing anguish and dissatisfaction over the absence of staff, mismanagement and worst cleanliness situation, The Chief Minister ordered suspension of several employees of the hospital including MS, DMS, dispenser, store keeper, ambulance driver and sweeper and directed high-level inquiry of the matter.

The Chief Minister found Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr. Hazrat Ali, ambulance driver, Daud and Sweeper, Rizwan absent from duty while duty roaster was also in disarray. The lone emergency attendant Dr. Imtiaz Afridi was sitting in informal dress and there was no record of other necessary instruments.

Cleanliness situation in hospital was poor and washrooms have turned into ponds of dirty water while watchman was also absent from the gate. Similarly, due to faulty lights darkness was reigning everywhere in the hospital. Furthermore, due to the closure of medicine store the parents of patients had to purchase medicines from market.

The situation in the hospital was so severe that there was no arrangement of medicines for indoor children and they had to make their arrangement for injections, Canola and life-saving drugs on their own. Furthermore, the Chief Minister also found waiting room constructed for patients and their attendants closed and the whole hospital was even lacking a single needle cutter.

Finding the poor situation in hospital, the Chief Minister summoned Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr. Ihsan Turabi, but despite the lapse of one hour, he could not be contacted on which the Chief Minister sent his own vehicle to pick him from his residence.

The Chief Minister inquired reason of poor situation to which the MS started giving good report and said that all staff of night shift was present and all medicines were available in the hospital’s store and there was no need of bringing anything from outside the hospital.

However, in his presence during round of a ward attendants of indoor patients told that the hospital management had not provided them even a single medicine and they purchased all medicines from market. An interesting revelation made on this occasion was that all medicines purchased from open market were mentioned in the admission chart of patients as provided by the store of the hospital.

Expressing dismay over the matter the Chief Minister told they should be ashamed of stealing medicines brought in the name of minor children. He said that millions of rupees were spent on administrative affairs of the hospitals, salaries of the staff and provision of medicines to the hospital, but the patients still facing inconvenience, while the private hospitals, despite of limited resources, were providing better services. If the situation remains the same then there would be no need of the private sector hospitals at all rather their closure would be better to save the public exchequer.

The Chief Minister deplored that how many children might had died of such negligence on the part of the hospital management. Ambulance is available, but driver is missing and parents of critically ill children have to shift them on their own shoulders. The lack of the use of needle-cutter is putting the lives of humans at risk while inclinators are also not available and if aware people like doctors will not show mercy on poor then who will do it.

He said that doctors use to observe strikes for their rights on daily basis, then why they are not observing it on the disarray situation of hospitals to save themselves from the curses of the poor. On saying sorry by the Medical Superintendent, the Chief Minister warned that it will not work as if an incharge despite the spending of such huge funds could not improve the situation of their hospitals, then they have no need of them.

He said during 24 hours of the day they would pay surprise visits anywhere to check institutions. He said that instead of saying sorry, all employees should improve their performance. Otherwise, no one should expect leniency and in future action will not only be taken against the management of institution concerned, rather minister and secretary concerned of the department will also have to face inquiry.

The Chief Minister said that with the promulgation of new laws all department would be subservient to public service and the era of bureaucracy will abolish to usher a golden era of real rights. He said that are awaiting the constitution of Ehtesab Commission, which would become functional in next one and half month.

Under that commission, he said corrupt and incompetent people have to go behind bars. Similarly, he said the enforcement of Right to Service Bill will make the provision of required facilities to people obligatory on heads of departments, otherwise they will have to compensate the wastage of the precious time and money from their own pocket.